


lost and found

by nananaginip (orphan_account)



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Kinda sad but also happy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 10:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12106701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nananaginip
Summary: They navigate each lifetime, whether together or apart.





	lost and found

**Author's Note:**

> YALL. i fell into the wanna one hell hole a while back n hhh panwink are so pure, so good,
> 
> this was supposed to be much much longer like it originally was 25 parts then i cut it down to 10 then i was like ......but _uni_ so i cut it down to five n here!! it is!!!! some panwink reincarnation fun for everyone hehe i hope you enjoy!
> 
> (loosely based off of ten, twenty-five, a hundred lifetimes! n also bc i'm a reincarnation au hoe)

They're at the back of Jihoon's red hand-me-down pick-up truck, shoulders touching and pinkies hooked together. It's warm and quiet; the stars are out, too, small pinpricks of light against the dark velvet of the sky.

Guanlin wants to stay in this moment forever.

"Guanlin-ah," Jihoon says. His voice is soft.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to leave."

Guanlin's breath hitches. He hooks his pinky tighter around Jihoon's.

(He wants to say he doesn't want Jihoon to leave either, that college is a thousand miles away and that's a thousand miles too many. He wants Jihoon close, the way it's supposed to be. The way it's always been.

But he can't be selfish.)

"Two years isn't that long, hyung," Guanlin says.

Jihoon breathes out a small laugh, a hint of a smile on his lips. It's bittersweet. "I don't want to have to wait."

"You won't have to. I'll be right here." Guanlin raises their linked pinkies. "I'll always be."

Jihoon smiles. It's real this time, and it's all Guanlin needs to smile back despite the heaviness in his chest. Jihoon buries his face in the crook of Guanlin's neck.

"Be brave, Lai Guanlin," is all he says.

Guanlin doesn't say anything, only unhooks their pinkies and laces their fingers together instead. Jihoon's breath tickles his neck as he lets out a sigh.

Guanlin closes his eyes.

_You too, Park Jihoon._

 ,,,

 _Lai Guanlin_ is written in messy penmanship on the library card.

It's there on every book Jihoon borrows - as if Guanlin is in on some secret Jihoon doesn't know about. It could be pure coincidence, really, and maybe that's what it is, but.

Jihoon feels like he's supposed to remember. A feeling bubbles up in his throat every time he thinks about it, every time he flips a book open to find another _Lai Guanlin_ written on the card tucked into the back page.

(It's been on eleven books so far. Not that Jihoon's counting.)

He slips the library card back into the pocket and sets the book - _A Tale of Two Cities_ \- back on the shelf. He should remember, he knows he should. He just doesn't know how.

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, walking out from between shelves and past the anti-theft monitors and into the hallway. It's rush hour, around four o'clock, and everyone is scrambling to get to their lockers or out the door.

"Guanlin!"

(Why can't he remember?)

Jihoon turns around and stares as a tall lanky boy who looks about two years below him - Guanlin, obviously - jogs up to Bae Jinyoung, the student council's Year 11 representative. They talk animatedly, hands gesturing and brows furrowing and deep-set frowns and eye smiles punctuating their words. Jihoon doesn't hear a thing, but follows the movement of Guanlin's lips and figures the younger boy is still working to wrap his tongue around Korean syllables.

Guanlin bows and Jinyoung bids him goodbye. Jihoon blinks, realizing he's been watching them the entire conversation and has people pushing past him, shoulders bumping and a few angry stares thrown over shoulders. He shakes his head and walks up to his locker, fingers quickly working to get it opened. He grabs his Math book and shoves it into his bag. All he can think about is getting home.

(An ache settles over him when he lies down on his bed, _Guanlin Guanlin Guanlin_ filling his brain. It's an ache he can't soothe.

But he can try.) 

 

 

,,,

Jihoon watches as Guanlin picks flowers from the grass, the younger boy cradling a slowly-growing bouquet, flowers threatening to spill out every time he crouches down. He weaves between sections of yellow roses, red carnations, sunflowers, blue salvias, and the occasional rosemary. A pile of flowers sits by Jihoon's feet.

"You've been picking flowers every time I visit," Jihoon notes. Guanlin adds a salvia to the bouquet.

"I'm making something for you."

"Oh? What's that?"

Guanlin's crouched by the roses, his back turned to Jihoon, but Jihoon knows he's smiling. "Can't tell, sorry!"

Jihoon rolls his eyes. "I'm only here an hour every time, Guanlinnie. Please sit with me."

Guanlin stands up and turns around, walking back to where Jihoon is seated. He leans down to press a kiss on Jihoon's forehead, the flowers slightly getting crushed between them.

"I hate not having you around often," Jihoon says quietly as Guanlin pulls away.

A beat. Guanlin chooses to sit cross-legged in front of Jihoon, setting the flowers on his lap. "Sleep more often, then," he says, smiling. Cheeky. Jihoon can tell it's forced.

(He only sees Guanlin in his dreams, in the hour-long moments where they fall in love. He knows Guanlin waits for him every time, standing in his garden, counting down until Jihoon shows up on the garden's pathway.)

Jihoon sighs, and Guanlin puts his hand palm-up on Jihoon's thigh. Jihoon laces their fingers together.

"We'll do better next time, hyung," Guanlin says, squeezing Jihoon's hand as a way of reassurance. "We'll find each other. The universe is usually kinder the next time around."

 _The universe is usually kinder._ Kinder. The word feels foreign.

Jihoon wants to commend Guanlin for his optimism, for being so hopeful that in their next life it won't be so hard. He wants to believe in it, to let it seep into his skin so he always remembers.

A gust of wind blows, reminding Jihoon he'll wake up soon. He looks at Guanlin, at the flowers on his lap, at the way Guanlin looks at him with stars in his eyes.

"Maybe," Jihoon says. "Maybe we'll win next time."

 ,,,

Guanlin is late.

Guanlin is late for a club meeting, the next train arriving in ten minutes and the only thing he could do is frantically type out a _"i'm gonna be pretty late i'm so sorry!!!"_ text and send it to Seonho. His phone vibrates, a reply from Seonho saying _"that's not rly new, hyung"_. He huffs. They may only be a year apart but - goddamn that kid.

He rocks backward on his heels, forming a routine of checking his phone every two minutes even if he doesn't get any notifications.

The intercom sounds. The next train is arriving in a minute, the announcement says. He hears the soft rumbling of the train as it approaches and lets out a breath. _Finally._ He steps aside as the train halts to give way to the swarm of people exiting and moves to go in when the crowd subsides. Someone rushes out last minute, bumping his shoulder, and an apology is on the tip of Guanlin's tongue when -

A mop of brown hair, soft eyes, and pink cheeks. All too familiar. Guanlin sucks in a breath, his heart skipping a beat.

The other boy says a quiet apology. His face is unreadable. Does he recognize Guanlin? Is it really _him_? Say something say something say something -

But the boy is already walking away, disappearing into the crowd at the station. Guanlin's phone vibrates three times, probably texts from Seonho telling him to _hurry up, jeez_.

He takes a seat by the door and puffs his cheeks out. His heart feels like it's going to burst.

_Maybe we'll win next time._

He barely speaks after that, during the meeting. Seonho asks him if he's okay but - thankfully - doesn't push it when Guanlin says he's fine.

Guanlin wouldn't know what else to say, anyway.

(Because what do you even do when you meet your soulmate only to have them slip away again?)

 ,,,

Formal events aren't exactly Guanlin's forte, he thinks as he's sitting alone in their table. It's that part of the night where everyone's on the dance floor or in the bathroom or somewhere else that isn't their school's gymnasium. A girl is on stage singing Frank Sinatra's _Fly Me To The Moon_. The 'Promenade 2017' banner has gotten a bit lopsided behind her. _Big mood._

He is (was?) Jinyoung and Daehwi's tail-slash-thirdwheel tonight, mostly because he doesn't have (and didn't want) a date. Jinhwi left a few minutes ago, going off to who knows where. The other people they were sitting with - Woojin, Hyungseob, Seonho, and Samuel - left half an hour before they did. Guanlin only hopes at least one of them comes back soon; he's itching to get up and go out for a while but he's become the designated person to watch over everyone's stuff.

He attempts to pull his sleeves down - it's getting cold - and sighs when it doesn't work. (Figures. He's outgrown the suit he's wearing but still chose to wear it since he doesn't have anything else.)

"Guanlin!"

It's Daehwi, thank god. He has Jinyoung - and someone else - in tow.

"I have someone I want to introduce you to." Daehwi says, beaming.

"Is it Jinyoung?" Guanlin asks jokingly.

Daehwi snorts. "No." He nudges the not-Jinyoung person beside him, who smiles and - oh.

(Brown hair, soft doe eyes, pink cheeks.

_Oh.)_

"Park Jihoon," the person says, extending his hand out for Guanlin to shake. There's a flash of recognition when their eyes meet.

"Lai Guanlin," Guanlin says, taking Jihoon's hand. "Hi."

"Hey."

(The girl on stage starts to sing _The Way You Look Tonight._ )

"So," Daehwi drawls out. "I have to go, Seonho is calling me. He's freaking out about something, someone, uh, I dunno. But I'll see you both later!" He bids them goodbye and tugs Jinyoung with him back into the crowd of people going around.

Guanlin turns to Jihoon. He realizes he's still holding onto Jihoon's hand and makes a move to let go.

Jihoon holds his hand tighter. "Don't. It's okay."

Guanlin wants to laugh, wants to hold Jihoon in his arms, wants to kiss his forehead and cry. Jihoon's here, fate is on their side, they're in this lifetime together.

"It's been so long," Guanlin says quietly. "Jihoon-hyung, it's been so long."

"I know," Jihoon says, thumb rubbing into the back of Guanlin's hand. He moves forward, putting his other hand on Guanlin's shoulder, and kisses the top of Guanlin's head.

It's all Guanlin wants.

(Later on, as he holds Jihoon close when they slow dance, Guanlin decides that he could be cut out for formal events.)


End file.
